Conference Services Assistant

Contract

This is a G-6 contract. This kind of contract is known as General Service and related categories. It is normally only for nationals. It usually requires 6 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be more than 1,931 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

Org. Setting and Reporting The mandate of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is to promote sustainable and inclusive development and regional connectivity in the Asian and Pacific region. ESCAP’s role as a regional development arm of the United Nations Secretariat is to support its membership with policy oriented research and analysis, normative support and technical assistance and capacity building, to respond to the development priorities and changing needs of the Asian and Pacific region.

This position is located in the Commercial and General Services Section (CGSS), Division of Administration (DA). The incumbent reports to the Chief of the Conference Management Unit.

Responsibilities Within delegated authority, the Conference Services Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:

• Organizes all meetings/conferences at the UNCC in coordination with substantive offices and clients, which may involve preparation of tentative cost estimates and statements of expenditures in line with the UNCC costing structure, in order to provide efficient and effective conference management services on a cost recovery basis.
• Conducts preparatory meetings with relevant offices and delegations regarding procedural and organizational arrangements for the sessions of assigned ESCAP’s committees and meetings/conferences in all formats – on-site, virtual or hybrid.
• Ensures that all required services, including the availability and distribution of documents, and personnel are available in order for committees and meetings/conferences to convene according to the schedule.
• Prepares and updates technical guides incorporating new features and functionalities of official e-conferencing platforms that are utilised to organise meetings/conferences in the UNCC.
• Advises and trains relevant offices, delegations and external clients on the use of UNCC facilities, including e-conferencing platforms.
• Supervises, as needed, the voting and election process and the preparation of tabulation of voting patterns.
• Assists in the preparation of the preliminary list and annotation of agenda items and daily material concerning the proceeding of committees and meetings/conferences.
• Prepares list of participants.
• Maintains a database of meetings based on requests and publishes the list indicating the interpretation requirements, venue, date and other relevant information, on a monthly basis.
• Prepares monthly statistics on meetings held at headquarters and offices away from headquarters.
• Determines the material and human resources requirements of meetings and prepares the cost estimates for consideration by the requesting office.
• Allocates conference facilities and meeting rooms.
• Maintains an accurate record of speakers and/or an attendance record and coordinate with delegations on their position on the list of speakers.
• Prepares floor plan of seating arrangements in accordance with meeting requirements and UN protocol.
• Attends coordinating/planning meetings, representing the Unit/Section regarding organizational arrangements for special committees and meetings/conferences and updates files accordingly.
• Drafts correspondence and notes for signature.
• Responds to queries from delegations and Secretariat.
• Replaces, as needed, senior staff in related functions.
• Participates in the recruitment of temporary assistants and schedules and supervises their work.
• Provides guidance/training, as needed, to junior staff.

• Performs other related duties as required.

  Competencies - Professionalism: Knowledge of the Organization’s conference policies, procedures and practices. Ability to research, select, organize and summarize information required for the preparation of meetings. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of work.

• Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

• Planning & Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

• Technological Awareness: Keeps abreast of available technology; understands applicability and limitation of technology to the work of the office; actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; shows willingness to learn new technology.

  Education High school diploma or equivalent.

  Work Experience A minimum of seven years of experience in conference support or related area is required.

  Experience in planning and organising intergovernmental meetings in a hybrid format is required.

  Experience in MS Office and operating virtual meeting platforms (i.e. MS Teams, KUDO, etc.) is required.

  Experience in the United Nations Common System or international organizations is highly desirable.

  Experience in supporting the entities and external clients on a cost recovery basis is desirable.

  Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.

  Assessment Qualified applicants may be evaluated through a competency-based interview and/or other assessment methods.

  Special Notice Appointment against this post is on a local basis; candidates shall be recruited in the country or within commuting distance of the ESCAP office, irrespective of nationality and length of time the candidate may have been in the country. If no suitable local candidate is identified, candidates located elsewhere may be considered. The candidate is responsible for any expenses incurred in taking the relevant examinations at the duty station, and of any costs related to traveling and relocating to the duty station in the event of an employment offer.

Must have passed the United Nations Global General Service Test (GGST) at Headquarters or an equivalent locally-administered test at Offices Away from Headquarters.

United Nations Considerations According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.